Apr 25, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Government of El Salvador carried out several activities in April, aimed at concluding the first phase of the project, entitled:Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector, which they have been implementing in the country since July 2015.
During the month of April 2016, the secondary marking of small arms belonging to private security companies that participate in the project continued. Since 2013, the government of El Salvador has a regulation on secondary marking – – taking place after the initial marking phase, which occurs at the time of manufacture– – in line with international agreements on combating the illicit trafficking of small arms signed by the government. The secondary marking helps to track firearms until they reach their final legal user and improve the weapons inventory management of the companies. During the first phase of the project, UNLIREC has facilitated the marking of more than 500 firearms belonging to thirteen security companies.
Furthermore, UNLIREC and the government of El Salvador carried out an event that recounted the results obtained during the first phase of the project. Among the results the training on firearms and ammunition warehouses management of more than 20 private security companies, and the technical advice on stockpile management and physical security measures of five companies stand out. All of these activities are in line with the UN International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).
During this event, UNLIREC distributed material for the weapons rooms of all private security companies involved in the project. UNLIREC donated devices commonly known as bullet-traps, which consist of metallic cylinders where individuals receiving or handing over weapons can ensure that the firearms has been made safe by placing it inside the bullet trap which absorbs and contains an errant round of ammunition. . In addition, the companies received warning stickers of dangerous materials according to the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UN Orange Book). These stickers must be placed in the vicinity where ammunition is stored.
This project, which provides technical assistance to both the national authorities in charge of regulating the private security sector nationwide, and the companies that provide security services, is implemented in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) with the financial support of the Federal Republic of Germany. The project`s main goal is to promote small arms and ammunition control standards, good practices and initiatives of global recognition, and good governance in the private security sector.
Through this assistance package, UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States strengthen public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Apr 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to support State Parties in the region to implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). On 19 April 2016, UNLIREC – in collaboration with the Institutional Directorate on Public Security Affairs (DIASP) inaugurated its Arms Trade Treaty Implementation Course (ATT-IC) in Panama.
20 participants, representing nine institutions, analyzed the arms trade context in Latin America and the Caribbean, classified arms and elements under the application of the Treaty, tested their knowledge of the regulatory provisions that need to be applied, and familiarized themselves with end-use and end-user documentation. Responding to an explicit request by Panamanian authorities, UNLIREC`s team of experts dedicated a session on analyzing the ATT obligations on the transit of conventional arms. In this regard, they presented different national control system models, with the goal of providing examples that could inspire Panama in its own design of its national control system. UNLIREC concluded the course by conducting two practical exercises, one of which was dedicated to the evaluation of a transit request, in line with the ATT obligations, from the perspective of the national control authority.
The ATT-IC course, which is four days in duration, has the objective to provide States Members with sufficient tools to ensure the effective implementation of the Treaty so that adequate control mechanisms can be established for all international transfers of arms, ammunitions and their parts and components in order to avoid their illegal diversion and their use in criminal activities.
Thanks to the financial support of Germany, this training course and all instruction materials are available to ATT States Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean. To date, 21 countries in the region have ratified the ATT, which came into force on 24 December 2014: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Apr 15, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), as a member of the United Nations Joint Programme “Strengthening Human Security and Community Resilience by Fostering Peaceful Coexistence in Peru”, participated as a speaker at a seminar entitled, “Citizen Security from a Human Security approach” held on April 15, 2016 in Trujillo, the capital city of the northern department of La Libertad.
This seminar, which was organized by the UN Joint Programme for Human Security in collaboration with the Provincial Municipality of Trujillo, shared, through a series of presentations, the different activities and approaches of institutions and organizations involved in citizen security in Trujillo.
Among the issues discussed in the seminar, prevention strategies against drugs and violence, alternative measures for juvenile offenders and measures for arms control were highlighted. This last issue was extensively explained by UNLIREC in a presentation that detailed options on public policies for arms and ammunition control and armed violence prevention and reduction.
Furthermore, UNLIREC presented the results of a survey that the Centre conducted at the end of 2015 about values, norms, and attitudes towards violence and the use of firearms among the population of the Province of Trujillo. This survey also studied the views of the population on a possible Voluntary Surrender of Weapons (PEVA) Programme. The results of the survey showed that about 90% of the respondents consider that the possession of a weapon must be authorized by the government and that they would encourage their acquaintances to participate in the aforementioned proposed PEVA Programme.
Finally, UNLIREC stressed that arms control policies must be coordinated with other initiatives since armed violence is not just a security and justice issue. Often, problems of citizenship security involve the presence of firearms and have multidimensional aspects, therefore it must be addressed in a multi-sectoral manner.
UNLIREC, as part of the UN Joint Programme for Human Security, conducted this seminar in accordance with other actions that UNLIREC develops in conjunction with public institutions and local authorities of Trujillo in order to prevent and reduce crime, gender-based violence and adolescent involvement in criminal activities.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Apr 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/65/69) recognizes the specific contribution of women at the local, national, regional and sub-regional levels in the prevention and reduction of armed violence in non-conflict contexts. The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has continuously championed women as “forces of change” and is providing States with the necessary tools to incorporate gender perspectives into small arms control and disarmament efforts.
It was within this context that UNLIREC undertook a specialized course on managing firearms and ammunition as evidence in collaboration with the Government of the Dominican Republic from 4-6 April in Santo Domingo. The UNLIREC developed and designed course was led by an all-women team comprised of three Latin American women who are at the top of their respective fields, including Pamela Romero from Mexico (crime scene management), and Arabeska Sanchez from Honduras (forensic ballistics) and Natasha Leite from Brazil (armed violence reduction). The 22 course participants honed their capabilities to manage and properly handle firearms and ammunition as evidence at crime scenes, and address the due sequencing of procedures at these scenes. Skills transferred during the course will improve national tracing procedures and facilitate the implementation of international firearms instruments adhered to by the Dominican Republic. Course participants acknowledged that – in stark contrast to previous years – over half of the forensic ballistic teams at the Institute of Forensic Sciences and the Scientific Police are female firearms examiners. The same gender parity was reflected in the course with half of the eight firearms examiners present being women. “Curiosity”, it was said, and “vocation are better indicators of success in the field than gender”. The course also highlighted the interaction between technical considerations and the social, cultural and institutional contexts in which they take place.
This training course was carried out within the framework of UNLIREC’s operational forensic ballistics project in the Caribbean. This project is supported financially by both the government of the United States and the government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Apr 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
From 4 to 8 of April, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Barbados carried out a series of hands-on forensic ballistics training exercises in Bridgetown. These exercises represent the second round of assistance held under the framework of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
The training exercises enabled five firearms examiners from the Royal Barbados Police Force to gain in-depth knowledge on specific UNLIREC Standard Operating Procedures, such as forensic examination of firearms, comparison microscopy, validation of scientific methods, recording and reporting of forensic evidence and health and safety during forensic processes. The activities also included a series of practical exercises comparing cartridge cases and bullets using a comparison microscope as well as reviewing possible validation and calibration protocols. The exercises provided participants with the opportunity to exchange best practices, discuss challenges faced in the field as well as practice new methods and technology in order to build more substantial cases and solid evidence.
For the third round of project assistance to the Government of Barbados, UNLIREC will be promoting the implementation of a series of collaborative exercises derived from forensic ballistic SOPs as a tool for determining staff competencies in key functional areas.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Mar 16, 2016 | Uncategorized
As part of its “Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector” project, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in partnership with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), conducted an international seminar on good practices and international experiences in the private security sector on 16 March 2016 in Lima, Peru.
This seminar marks the successful completion of phase one of this joint project which commenced in June 2015 and is being implemented in both El Salvador and Peru in collaboration with the respective national authorities – the national directorate for the control of security services, firearms, ammunition and explosives (SUCAMEC) in Peru and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence in El Salvador.
During this seminar, UNLIREC and DCAF presented the project`s achievements in the two countries, including: small arms and ammunition inventory management training for more than 40 private security companies; assessments of eight private security companies aimed at providing technical recommendations on stockpile management and physical security measures; and secondary marking with laser technology of more than 1000 firearms. All of these activities – in line with the United Nations International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) – have contributed to improvements in the private security companies` arms and ammunition warehouses as well as the adoption of practices and procedures to improve small arms control in this sector.
Likewise, UNLIREC and DCAF described the available international initiatives and standards that are applicable to the private security sector, such as the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC), with the goal of promoting their accession and implementation. This seminar also provided a forum for discussion and experience sharing between government authorities, private security companies, civil society and other actors on mechanisms for good governance in the private security sector.
This project has been made possible due to the financial support of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the second phase, UNLIREC aims to expand the project to include additional countries in the region.
Through this assistance package, UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States strengthen public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, (cowl@unlirec.org).
